Moments of the Unknown. 104 July 20th at 11:55 in Orlando, Florida After having breakfast with aunt Lisa we drove north a couple hours to go see her son, my cousin, Cassidy! He was in the middle of work and was able to sneak out before lunch time to make art with us right outside of his building, while his co-workers watched through the one way reflective glass windows. He had to get back to work before his boss got wind of us lingering on the property. We drove four hours for ten seconds to make art that lasts an eternity. There was nothing around but the scorching hot parking lot and the grey mirrored building so I had to act fast and adapt. Which was my favorite part of being under pressure in situations with difficult lighting, locations, or subjects. These are usually the greatest lessons when a breakthrough occur, it's an instinct. So, I took a deep breath and felt the flow of the wind and the focus of my eyes guide me. Aha! I grabbed Cassidy and placed him against the wall next to the windows in the cool shade. I asked him to look up towards God and pray. He came from a religious side of the family so it was natural for him, and he looked good doing it too. I swear, he could've been a male model if he wasn't working for sports teams supporting the kids. We hugged goodbye and promised he would visit us soon in New York. He ran back inside the building and we drove off to go visit Ethan's friend in Cape May. Cassidy is like a brother to me and one of my closest family members since we are only a few years apart. I usually see him once every few years. Every time I see him he becomes more of a handsome man and is always looking like he evolved into next stage of a professional weightlifter. He visits me often in the city to catch a baseball game. When he does we get to spend some quality time cruising the city and I get to show him cool parts of town, as a good cousin should! Family feels different when you include them into an art project. It is like a relic that transcends time and connection. It feels like imbuing love into a crystal to share to the world. The light of someone you cherish their being and life to share with the world. A way of honor through craft and gentle care. Transmitting emotion and empathy of the gratitude to share the same DNA and carry the blood forth into new generations. Family is sacred. And this is my gift to the roots of the tree and leaves that continues to grow past our lives. Proof of the past that existed in time. To see who, and where, at what time. Mindful of the moment created in the present, joyful to look back into the past, caretaking for the future to see and learn.

First Moonbirds and now a massive Squiggles sweep. What’s next?

Moments of the Unknown. 103 July 19th at 20:57 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida It was time to continue the journey. Leaving a couple nights of comfort behind to head back on the road. From family to family; From Ethans to my own blood. We went to go see my aunt Lisa in Fort Lauderdale, which was not too far from Sarasota. Lisa was always a joy to be around. Someone who can make you laugh, and sometimes cry. We arrived in the evening for an Italian dinner, like we always do. She told us all about the latest dramas and dealings at her new job. Once we arrived back to her apartment it was starting to get late and she had a long phone call with a guy causing her trouble who had no idea he was about to get a big ticket for his truck. I was getting anxious that we did not do the shoot of the day yet. There were children playing in this long white hallway that led to her door and I thought this is the right place where we will make the art. One of the kids scurried in and out of the frame as their mom was calling out to them. At first he was in the shot, then I waited for him to go back home. The hall was clear and so was the shot. Lisa finished the call and came outside. She kissed the mezuzah on the entrance to the door with her fingertips. Lisa was my favorite Jewish cousin and basically a sister to my mother. We've been through so much shit together! When my mom, Gabrielle, passed away 10 years ago she promised me and my sister, Marisa, that she would be like a mother to us. She graciously became a matriarch role model to us over time, and unto this day. She taught me all about family on my mothers side, a missing link in my family tree's DNA and history that I was able to learn and recover thanks to her remembering. Lisa was the wisdom keeper to our past, she knew all the stories of the Sterns and Rimbergs. I realized it is only when you ask the right questions, your prayers will be answered. God bless you, Lisa, and thank you for stepping up and reminding us how important family is, even when we loose one of our own that brought us up and closest to our hearts. Not to death, but to God. As a guardian angel. I like to believe that mom is now my Arch-angel Gabriel, protecting and guiding me through life from the spirit world. Thank you, Mom.